Born Capital Brewery Bottling Works
Also known as: Hercules Trouser Company; Salvation Army Building
Why it's listed
Built about 1895 at the corner of South Front and Beck streets in Columbus, this three-story brick building served as the bottling works of Conrad Born's Capital Brewery. Its Romanesque Revival design includes a rock-faced stone foundation, octagonal brick turrets, recessed brick panels and a sheet metal cornice. The building was extended east between 1900 and 1910, and the Hercules Trouser Company, which took over the former bottling works after the brewery era ended, added a large south wing around 1940. Later it housed a Salvation Army warehouse and store. Federal law required bottling to take place away from the main brewery, which prompted separate plants like this one. Born's was the second largest German brewery in the city, and almost all of its complex was demolished between 1910 and 1922. This bottling works is the only surviving building from it, and it retains much of its original design, materials and open interior plan, illustrating the city's German brewing district.
Significance in brief: The building is locally significant under Criterion A as the sole surviving structure of Conrad Born's brewery, the second largest of Columbus's German breweries. It represents the city's once-large German brewing industry along South Front Street. It is also one of only three known free-standing bottling plants in the district, and the most architecturally ornate of them.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 09000442, listed June 18, 2009. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 570 S. Front St., Columbus |
|---|---|
| County | Franklin County |
| Listed | June 18, 2009 |
| Reference number | 09000442 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | c1895-c1920 |
| Architectural style | Romanesque Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Industry |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed current function is vacant. The Salvation Army, a later occupant, moved to another location in 2007, and a one-story rear wing was removed in 2007. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Schlee Brewery Historic District |
| Coordinates | 39.95024, -82.99998 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 09000442.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q103825633
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.